Clemens correction …

The Clemens’ post early is not accurate. The Houston Chronicle reported Clemens was bounced by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association as a keynote speaker in January. However, it has since reported today that the organization is considering the move.

“Nothing is final, but we will be meeting in regards to the issue,” Jim Long, president of the THSBCA told The Chronicle. “We would like to talk with Roger, and then decide on a course of action from there.”

John Delcos enters his third season covering the Mets for The Journal News after eight seasons on the Yankees beat. Prior to coming to New York, John covered the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians.

9 Comments

OMAR PADILLA

Last year Minaya took lots of heat for signing the steroid abuser Mota. And Mota was booed at least as much as he deserved based on his performance. Now, in 2008, will Schoeneweis be booed as much as Mota was? And will Minaya be beaten if he signs another steroids dude since there are now so many?

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Texas high school baseball coaches said on Monday they may drop Roger Clemens as a speaker at their annual convention after he was accused of using steroids in the blockbuster Mitchell report.

Clemens was set to speak about “My Vigorous Workout, How I Played So Long” on January 12. But Jim Long, president of The Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association, said a meeting would be held on Tuesday to decide whether the event should go on.

The withdrawal would be a big snub for Clemens, who grew up in Texas, and a measure of the fallout he may experience from the report by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell released on Thursday.

Clemens lives in Houston, was a star pitcher at the University of Texas and was hailed as a hero when he led the Houston Astros to their only World Series appearance in 2005.

“We’re not going to slam Roger in any way, shape or form,” Long said by phone. “But there’s a cloud over his situation and we have to address it.”

“We’re 200 percent against steroids,” he said.

Texas began mandatory tests of high school athletes for steroids in September, instituting the toughest program in the United States that covers nearly 25,000 teenagers during the school year.

New Jersey and Florida are the other two states who test teenagers for performance-enhancing drugs.

A former fitness trainer is cited in the Mitchell report as having given Clemens, 45, steroid injections beginning in 1998.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner had been the subject of steroid rumors for several years because he retained his skills as a power pitcher well past age 40, when most players’ skills have faded. But he always denied the rumors and attributed his longevity to intense off-season workouts.

Clemens has pitched in the big leagues since 1984, including last season with the New York Yankees.

Clemens has not spoken publicly since the Mitchell report, which named more than 80 players as having used performance-enhancing drugs, but his lawyer denied all allegations and accused the trainer of lying to avoid prosecution.

His friend and teammate Andy Pettitte was cited in the report as having used human growth hormone and admitted in a weekend statement that he used it briefly in 2002 to help recover from an injury.

In Monday’s Houston Chronicle, former Astros teammate Lance Berkman said Pettitte’s admission put more pressure on Clemens to speak out.

“I don’t think it’s good enough to make a blanket statement and say the guy’s lying. Now that Andy’s come out, that certainly puts a little more pressure to come out and make a more detailed statement,” Berkman said about Clemens’ response.

First of all, Ã¢â‚¬Å“My Vigorous Workout, How I Played So LongÃ¢â‚¬? is two topics, not one—as seems obvious with the recent disclosures.

Secondly, why would football coaches want to hear from a baseball player about conditioning? The career longevity, of course, might be of interest to the coaches personally as I don’t think there are many who wish to see their players in high school for 20+ years. But it is Texas, the state who’s favorite “son” was born in CT and educated in CT & MA.

Thirdly, there is much that Roidger can teach these coaches that will benefit them and there players—particularly with their proximity to the Mexican border. Imagine how much differently Roidger would have conducted his “training” had he knew he’d be the cornerstone of the Mitchell Inquisition report.

Consider how differently players would conduct their training if baseball gave them blood tests rather than urine tests and made a blanket cheating of any kind will not be tolerated and enforced? Knowing the blood can be pulled out years later when new more accurate tests become available that would cause their careers to end and their records wiped from the books?

Schoenweis i’m sure will be booed…..because…well…that’s all Met fans ever DO to Schoenweis. Maybe the boos will be louder this year. BUT, if he continues to pitch like he did the last two months of the season, the boos will be turned to cheers rather quickly IMO.

I love this Schoeneweiss fantasy that keeps coming up about the great last month or two he had.
Deal in facts, not myths that justify Omar’s failure to improve the pen.

For your information Schoeneweiss’ best month was APRIL, not Aug or Sept, but April, where he pitched to an ERA of 1.86. He was actually good and was used in the 8th inning! He then totally sucked in May, June and July raising his ERA to the Mota like 5.59. He did improve in August being used in mop up duty when Mota was too tired to suck, lowering his lofty ERA down to 5.11, but still pitching at a 4 plus ERA clip.. In Sept, Schoeneweiss the great pitched to an ERA of 5 again. If you cheer that bless you for your seasonal cheer!

Sloppy: Chill dude. So I was smitten with the job he did in Florida against the Marlins in September when he got his back to back saves. So I’ll clarify…if he pitches the way he pitched in those two games, he’ll be cheered. lol